They're Innocent
by daggerblade123
Summary: Reid, JJ, and Garcia are all kidnapped by a man who plays games with their loved ones.
1. Chapter 1

Reid, JJ, and Garcia were going to their cars after an extra stressful case.

"Oh I have been waiting for this day all month," Garcia said," Kevin and I have a whole weekend planned, starting when I get home.".

"What are you doing?" Reid asked.

"Oh, my innocent little gumdrop," Garcia smiled," I think it's best if I don't corrupt that beautiful brain of yours with my unholy thoughts."

"Trust me, Spence," JJ said," you probably don't want to know."

When they passed by a van, the door swung open, and a man came out. He was holding a taser. Before anyone could react, he had already tasered JJ. Once she was on the ground, he stole her gun from her belt, aimed it at her head, and put a boot on her back.

"Agent Reid," he said," If you want your friend to live, you will give your weapon to Ms. Garcia, who will give your weapon to me, and then you and Agent Jareau will get in the back of my van, and Ms. Garcia will join me up front."

Reid knew that if he didn't obey, JJ would die, and he couldn't risk her life. He gave his gun to Garcia, who took the weapon to the man holding JJ.

"Thank you, my darling," he said," you may go ahead and get in the front seat. We'll join you when we're ready."

Garcia looked at Reid and JJ one last time before getting in the front of the van. The man removed his boot from JJ's back and told Reid to pick her up and place her in the van. Once they were inside, he slammed the door shut, and went to the front seat with Garcia.

"Please," she said, quietly," If you let them go, you can do whatever you want to me, Just don't hurt them."

He put a hand against her cheek.

"Penelope, your selflessness truly is admirable," he said," but I need all three of you for my plan. Besides, if I let them go, then they'll tell the rest of your team, and we'll lose our headstart."

* * *

An hour after Reid, JJ and Garcia left, Emily finished her paperwork and went to the parking lot. When she got there, she noticed Reid's car was still there, and then she saw JJ's car a few spaces away. After searching for a few seconds, she found Garcia's car and knew something was wrong. She turned around and went back into the office.

"Hey, Morgan," she said," Reid, JJ, and Garcia left, right?"

"Yeah," Morgan said," they left together."

"Well, their cars are still here," she said," I think we should check the security cameras. I'll go downstairs and talk to security, you talk to Hotch and Rossi."

As soon as she got to the elevators, Kevin stepped off.

"Hey, Emily," he said," is Penelope here? She was supposed to be home an hour ago, and she hasn't been answering my calls."

"No she isn't," Prentiss said," stay here. We may need your help."

She went down to the security desk and spoke with the guard, who let her view all the footage from when they left. She watched for about ten minutes until she saw them walking to their cars. She saw a man jump out of a van, and taser JJ. She noticed that he was careful to keep his face out of view of the camera.

When she got back upstairs to tell the team about what happened, Kevin was on his phone looking anxious. While Morgan quietly waited.

"She's here," he said," now please let me talk to Penelope."

"No," the man on the phone said," give the phone to her."

"But you said-"

Kevin was interrupted by the sound of Garcia screaming. She begged for the pain to stop. Morgan's hands turned into fists.

"Please stop," Kevin begged

"That's completely up to you, Kevin," he said," can I talk to Agent Prentiss?"

Prentiss grabbed the phone from Kevin's hand.

"I'm here," she said," What do you want to talk about?"

"See, boys? This is how you make it easier on both you and your colleagues," he said," now since you have been obedient, I will allow you to speak to one of your teammates. I was going to let you speak with Penelope, but she isn't exactly in the mood to talk to you right now. Are you, my darling?"

They heard Garcia whimper in fear, and then a new voice came on the phone.

"Emily?"

"JJ," Prentiss sighed with relief," are you okay?"

"He tasered me," JJ said," but I think I'll be fine."

Prentiss gestured for Kevin and Morgan to go to Garcia's office. Kevin needed to trace the call, and they could still hear Penelope crying in the background, which was visibly distressing Morgan

"So are Reid, and Garcia okay?"

"Yeah, Reid's fine," she said," and Garcia will be okay."

Prentiss could hear Reid trying to comfort a crying Garcia.

"What did he do to her?"

JJ's voice got low.

"The bastard put his cigarette out on her," she said through gritted teeth.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound someone being punched, and JJ letting out a surprised yelp.

"So sorry," the man said," but it looks like Ms. JJ is having trouble minding her manners. I sure hope this isn't the example she sets for Henry."

"Let me talk to Reid," Prentiss said," he hasn't done anything wrong."

"I don't know if any of them are ready to speak to you just yet," he said," but I will call you as soon as they are. Bye."

He hung up the phone, and Prentiss went ran into Garcia's office, praying that Kevin was able to trace the call.


	2. Chapter 2

Reid was fuming. This guy was damn lucky that they were all strapped to tables because Reid was ready to strangle him. He had just watch this man burn Penelope's arm with a cigarette, and punch JJ in the face. He felt a sense of duty to protect them both in any way possible. Even if it meant getting himself hurt.

"You're a coward," he said.

Penelope looked at him with pure fear, and JJ looked like she was ready to slap him. The man smiled. He was amused.

"Really," he said," well, agent Reid if you really feel that way, then please, tell me why."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Penelope said.

This earned their captor's attention. He walked across the room to Garcia and stood over her, which caused her to shrink away from him. He could tell she was terrified, and he delighted in it. He placed a cold, calloused hand on her face.

"Penelope, my darling," he said," now, why would Dr. Reid say that, knowing the negative consequences that come with disrespecting me, if he didn't believe it to be so? I think you may want to leave the profiling to the profilers sweetheart."

"I don't know why he said it," Penelope said," just please don't hurt him."

"I'll make a deal with you," he said," I'm feeling rather merciful at the moment, so I won't hurt Dr. Reid."

Garcia breathed a sigh of relief.

"But," he continued," I will have to punish you in his place. Do you accept?"

Penelope paused for a moment. Fear filled her eyes.

"Penelope," Reid said," No. You don't have to do this. It's okay."

As soon as he said that, Garcia felt newfound courage. She couldn't live with herself if Reid was hurt because of her.

"Fine," she said," whatever you're going to do, do it to me."

"Dr. Reid," the man said," she's certainly ready to take the fall for you, but do you accept the deal?"

"No," Reid said quickly," if you're going to hurt someone, hurt me."

The man pulled out a knife from his desk and walked over to Reid. He cut off the sleeve on his right arm, and cut him once.

"Consider this your first, and only warning, Dr. Reid," he said," next time, I won't be so forgiving, and I may not ask if I can hurt Ms. Garcia."

* * *

Prentiss and Morgan went to the parking lot to see if anything had been left behind.

"Okay," Prentiss said," The van was in this parking space, so any evidence he left behind would have been in this area."

After a few minutes, they were ready to call it quits and head back upstairs. Prentiss noticed something next to Garcia's car. She bent down to pick it up and saw that it was a picture of the team in a bright pick frame. The faces of Reid, JJ, and Garcia were marked out.

"Did he steal this from her car?" Prentiss asked," or did take it from her desk?"

"Neither," Morgan said," he took it from her house. I've seen that picture in the same place in Garcia's house for the past three years. It can't be a coincidence that it suddenly ends up here the same day she goes missing. We should talk to Kevin, and see if anything seemed out of place when he was there. Let's check the other cars."

Derek checked Reid's car and found a leather-bound journal underneath. his car. He read the first page and understood what it was.

"A few years ago, what he had just started with the BAU, Reid asked me how I cope with the things we see," Morgan said," I asked Hotch and Gideon to help him out, and I guess he decided to keep a journal."

"So this guy found something so private, that we didn't even know about it, and left it here for us to find," Prentiss said," we should go check his house after we take a look at JJ's car."

Emily checked JJ's car and found a picture book underneath.

"It looks like something she'd read to Henry," she said.

She opened it up and saw a picture of Henry on a swing, with JJ and Will behind him. It looked like someone had taken the picture without them knowing.

"We need to talk to Will, and Kevin," Morgan said," and we need to search Reid's place. It's our best chance of finding something."

* * *

Hotch and Rossi went to Reid's apartment and tried to search it.

"Where do you think he would keep his journal?" Rossi asked.

"I don't know," Hotch said," until a few minutes ago, I didn't even know he kept a journal. Why?"

"If he was going to leave something, he'd probably leave it where he found the journal," Rossi answered," that's where he would have to pick up the journal.

"That's the thing," Hotch said," the journal was already dusted for prints, and they found nothing. He was wearing gloves when he came through here."

"It's not fingerprints I'm expecting to find," Rossi said," he went into their homes and took items that they cared about. He's been leaving us clues this whole time. This isn't a crime to him. It's a game."


	3. Chapter 3

After cutting Reid's arm, their captor went upstairs, to grab something.

"Reid," JJ said," don't antagonize him."

"I know," Reid said," I just wanted to draw his attention away from you two."

"But, Reid," Penelope said," neither of us wants to see you get hurt."

"He never paid attention to me," Reid said.

"What?"

"I'm profiling," Reid explained," He's focused almost all of his time on you two. He targeted JJ first, then he spoke to you the whole time we were driving here."

"He's almost been ignoring you the whole time," JJ realized," Garcia, you were the first one he brought down here, what all did he do?"

"He was almost gentle with me," she said,' he strapped me to the table, but he kept talking me through it. He kept telling me that he wasn't going to hurt me."

"He was the same way with me," JJ said," he had to carry me inside, but he was really careful about making sure he wasn't hurting me. And, he was worried that I was setting a bad example for Henry."

They heard the loud footsteps of their captor coming downstairs.

"Ms. Garcia," he said," are you hungry?"

"No," Garcia said quietly," I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten since lunch," he said," and it's almost nine at night."

"She said she isn't hungry," Reid said," just leave her alone."

"This doesn't concern you," he said to Reid," are you sure you don't want me to go out and get you something?"

"I'm sure," Garcia said," I had a big lunch."

"I don't think you want to lie to me, Ms. Garcia," he said," you won't like what happens when you lie."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Penelope felt the burn marks on her arm begin to hurt.

"Yes," she admitted," I'm hungry."

He smiled and walked over to JJ.

"Ms. Jaraue," he said," I have a deal for you."

'What?'

"If you agree to come with me, I will bring back food for Dr. Reid and Ms. Garcia," he offered," if you don't, I will take Ms. Garcia with me and none of you will get food."

JJ didn't want Garcia to be alone with him. He was already showing signs of being borderline obsessive, and she hated to think what would happen if he took her.

"Okay," she said," I'll go with you."

"JJ," Penelope said," you don't have to go with him. I'll be fine. I don't think he'll hurt me that bad. Besides, you need to be here for when the team finds us."

JJ turned her head to look at Garcia and Reid.

"If I don't come back," she said," please help Will take care of Henry."

"Oh don't be so overdramatic," the man said," killing you wouldn't be nearly enough fun."

He pulled a syringe out of his jacket and plunged the needle into her neck. She tried to fight it, but she slowly fell asleep.

* * *

After searching for anything that looked out of place, Hotch checked under the mattress and found a driver's license.

"It says it belongs to a Samuel Rollins," he said," I doubt this guy would be stupid enough to give us his full name, but we should still send it to Kevin and see what he can find."

"Hey, Kevin," Dave said," I need you to look up a name for me."

"Okay, shoot," Kevin said.

"Samuel Rollins," he said.

"Okay," Kevin said," Samuel Rollins is a twenty-four-year-old man who works for a small plumbing business that he seems to be doing very well at, but he called in sick today. I'll send you his address."

"Thanks," Rossi said.

They drove to Samuel's house as quickly as possible and knocked on the door.

"Samuel Rollins," Hotch said," open up."

They heard nothing, so they kicked down the door, and ran into the kitchen. Samuel was tied to a chair, unconscious. Hotch checked for a pulse.

"He's gone," he said," we're too late."

The police, Hotch and Rossi all searched for another clue, when Hotch's phone rang.

"Hotch," Derek said," we're at JJ's house. The unsub called Prentiss, but he says he wants to talk to you."

"Okay," Hotch said," tell him I'm on my way and keep him talking. Is Kevin tracing the call?"

"Yeah," Derek said," he's trying."

"Go," Rossi said," I'll stay here, and get a ride back to the bureau."

Hotch got in his car and drove to JJ's house. When he got there, Prentiss was still on the phone.

"Alright, he's here," she said," I'm gonna let you talk to Hotch."

* * *

"Hotch?"

JJ was just now waking up from whatever drugs had been injected into her, and she still couldn't really think straight.

"JJ," Hotch said calmly," are you okay?"

"I think so," she said," he made me go with him. He was going to take Garcia. I couldn't let him hurt Garcia."

"It's okay," Hotch assured her," you didn't do anything wrong."

"Do you know where you are?"

"I don't know," she said," I was asleep the whole way here."

"Okay, JJ I think that's enough time on the phone," the unsub said," I have some business to discuss with your boss."

JJ tried to understand what was being discussed, but her mind was still foggy.

"So, Hotch," he said," how far has your team gotten in my little scavenger hunt?"

There was a low, angry voice on the other end. Then the unsub responded.

"Ah, so you found young Samuel, have you? I hope you left someone behind to search his house," he said," I'd hate for you to waste time driving back there."

There was more low growling, and then the unsub took JJ by the arm.

"I'd love to talk with you some more," he said," but Jennifer has a long trip ahead of her."


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you think he's going to do to her?"

"I don't know," Reid said

"Reid," Garcia said," you don't think he'd kill her, do you?"

"Based on what he's done so far, I don't think he'll kill any of us if he doesn't have to," he answered," ideally for him, he'll be able to use all of us to play with the team, but if he had to, he could continue this with only one of us."

They fell silent when they heard footsteps coming downstairs.

"Where's JJ?" Garcia asked.

"Ms. Garcia," he said," I will answer all your questions in good time, but I did agree to give you food, and I am a man of my word. Dr. Reid, would you like to come upstairs and eat first?"

"Sure," Reid said.

If he was upstairs, then maybe he could see where they were. Maybe he could signal for help. The man unstrapped him from the table. He showed him a knife, and then led him upstairs. He took Reid to a kitchen where the table had one apple and one glass of water. He looked out the window and saw that they were in a secluded area

"Go ahead and sit down," the man said," you'll need your energy for what I have planned."

"What do you have planned?"

"Eat your apple, and drink your water," he said," then I'll tell you."

Reid was worried that the water might have a sedative or something in it, so he ate the apple first. When he was done, he was hoping his abductor would forget about the water.

"Okay," the young doctor said," I'm finished. Now tell me what you're going to do with us."

"First, drink your water," he said," then you'll find out."

"No," Reid said.

"Fine, " the man answered.

He picked up his knife and walked toward the basement door.

"But I think it's only fair if you know that I'll have to punish Ms. Garcia for your insubordination."

"Wait!"

Without thinking, Reid picked up the glass and quickly gulped down its contents.

"There," the man with the knife said," now was that so hard?"

Reid's body became tired. He tried getting up, but as soon as he did, he fell to the floor, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Stop!" His captor yelled.

He then went over to the cabinet, pulled out a plate, and smashed it on the floor. The man picked up a shard from the ground, and cut himself in the palm.

"Reid?!"

It was Garcia. She was worried about him. Reid wanted to call out to her, but it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. His captor ran to the door and opened it.

"Dr. Reid," he said," If you leave, I will have no use for Ms. Garcia, and I will be forced to kill her!"

He slammed the door, and Reid lost the battle to keep his eyes open. The last thing he heard was Garcia continuing to call his name.

* * *

"Reid," Garcia called," Reid, just let me know you're okay!"

She heard quick footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Reid?"

The man ran downstairs and revealed himself. He was covered in blood

"No," he said," Dr. Reid is gone. He asked for a glass of water, and when my head was turned he got up and grabbed a plate from the cabinet. He was going to hit me in the back of the head, but I turned around just in time and he caught me in the hand. I told him if he left, I would kill you, but he didn't care. He just kept running. He left you to die, Penelope."

"What? Your lying," Garcia said," Reid wouldn't leave me. Reid, Reid please talk to me!"

"He's gone, my darling." the man said," he left you alone with me."

Garica realized what this meant.

"Wait," she said," you aren't going to kill me, are you?"

"No," he said," that was just something I told him to make him stop. While we're alone, you and I can have some fun."

He walked over to her and began to unbutton her blouse. Garcia didn't want him to continue, so she thought up a way to make him stop.

"If Reid did escape," she said," I hope he can find help. I hope that he can stay safe. Even if I die here, my final prayer will be that you can never get to him again."

It was only for a second, and he fixed it almost immediately, but he revealed that he was bothered by her words. That was all Penelope needed to continue.

"My, my," the man said," someone seems to have gained some courage. I hope I don't have to remind you how I deal with disrespect."

"It doesn't matter anyway, because I know Reid would leave me," Garcia said," Reid isn't like you. He isn't a coward. You're using us to hurt Hotch, and Rossi, and Prentiss, and Derek because you know that if you ever tried to hurt any one of them directly, they would destroy you. But don't worry, after everything you've put our family through, when they do find you, they will make sure you get exactly what you deserve."

She was silenced by a punch to the face. When Penelope's eyes adjusted, he was already running back upstairs. Penelope listened carefully. It sounded like he was pacing back and forth. He was mumbling something to himself. Then, he paused. She heard more footsteps, and then she heard him come downstairs. He was holding the knife that he'd used to threaten Reid. He quickly unfastened her but kept the blade to her throat.

"Don't forget," he said," I still have JJ. I don't know about you, but I'd hate for little Henry to grow up without a father."

Penelope slowly got up and the blade went from her throat to her back. He told her to go upstairs, and she did. He quickly moved her from the kitchen to the outside, where the van was parked. As soon as they were next to the van, Penelope felt her body seize up, as she fell forward. Her kidnapper caught her before she hit the ground, and placed her inside. Before he slammed the door shut, he made sure she saw the taser.

* * *

Hotch had taken Wil and Henry back to the bureau so that Prentiss and Morgan could search their house, and he could see if they had noticed any people watching them. As soon as they were gone they began to search the house.

"It's amazing," Prentiss said," this bastard's been watching them for so long that he knows exactly when he could break into there houses, and not get caught."

"What's even more concerning is that he was able to take that picture of Henry without Will or JJ noticing," Morgan said," I know they would have been observant while they were out."

They went upstairs to check Henry's room, but they didn't find anything strange on the bookshelf right away. Morgan began to search elsewhere, but Prentiss kept looking at the bookshelf for anything that looked out of place. She noticed that amongst the shelf of books there was a pink spine that stuck out. She opened it up to the title page and found the picture of a teenaged girl.

"Hey Derek," she said," check this out."

She lifted the picture and revealed a note.

 _For my little princess._

Prentiss quickly called Kevin, and Morgan took a picture.

"Hey Kevin," she said," Morgan's sending you a picture. We need you to run it through facial recognition."

"Okay," Kevin said quietly," that girl was Mary Hanley. Four years ago, when she was in high school she was involved in some drama. She was apparently pressured by an older classmate to send revealing pictures of herself. He apparently shared them with his friends, who sent them to their friends, and everyone saw them within a matter of days. She was bullied relentlessly for sending the pictures, and after three months, she committed suicide."

"Who was the boy who sent the pictures?"

"It was Samuel Rollins' younger brother, Robert," Kevin said," Agent Rossi already called his family, so he can talk to him when he gets here. One year after Mary killed herself, her father committed suicide on the anniversary of his daughter's death."

"Kevin," Derek said," did Mary have any family other than her father."

"Her mother died when she was young," Kevin said," but she does have an older sister, Ava. The only problem is she lives in New York, and she seems to be doing well considering what happened. She got a job, got married, and even has a baby on the way. I don't think she would risk all this to get revenge."

"Maybe," Prentiss said," but send us her phone number, anyway. Our unsub may have reached out to her."

"Already sent," Kevin said.


	5. Chapter 5

JJ tried her best to help Peter's mother calm down, but it was hard to do when neither of them could speak. She continued to try and break free, but Peter noticed, and drove the van to that she and his mother would be thrown around the back of the van. After thirty minutes of driving, he pulled in to a church parking lot, got out of the van, and forced the two women to go inside at gunpoint. He silently led them to a set of stairs.

"Go down there, and wait for me," he said," You first, agent Jareau."

He kept his mother upstairs with him until JJ set foot on the basement floor. He sent her downstairs with her hands untied. The door slammed and locked upstairs. JJ turned so his mother could untie her. After her hands were free, she pulled the duct tape off of her mouth. The basement had a small kitchen, and bookshelf, and a bathroom under the stairs. She got Peter's mother a glass of water and sat her down.

"When he was in his early twenties," she said," his father taught him how to do plumbing and electrical work. He started doing maintenance work for a living about a year ago, and I thought that he was finally getting better."

She broke down into tears as JJ tried to help her.

"This isn't your fault," JJ said," you had no way of knowing he'd do this."

"When I got pregnant with him," she said," my daddy was so mad, he kicked me out of the house. I never saw him or my mother again. I had scholarship money to go to the local community college, so I got a job waitressing tables, found a friend who would let me sleep on her couch, and took night classes. I wanted to give my baby the best life I could. I scraped by until I could find an apartment I could afford. Peter was born three days after I moved in. I got my teaching degree, found a job at the local high school, and things were finally coming together. But, Peter was always different from the other boys. He didn't want to make friends with the other children. He wanted nothing to do with the boys, and I know it's normal for boys to pick on girls but he tormented them. He would find whatever girl he could intimidate the easiest, and leave her in tears on the playground."

JJ thought back to how he treated Garcia. Once she showed him fear, he spent all his time focused on her. She prayed that he would leave her alone now, but she knew that wasn't likely.

"What state are we in?"

"Pennsylvania," the woman said.

Peter ran downstairs and gave them a bag from a fast food restaurant.

"Enjoy," he said," that's all you're going to have until we get this done."

"Peter," JJ said," think about what you're doing. You've kidnapped three federal agents. You left two of them alone. What happens when one of them escapes, or the team finds them. What happens when they find us? Because their main priorities when they find us will be to get me, and your mother out unharmed. They don't care what happens to you."

"So," Peter said," tell me, is there a point to what you're saying?"

"My point is," JJ said," if you let us go, turn yourself in, and tell the police where Garcia and Reid are, and then they might give you a lesser sentence."

"Darling," Peter said," tomorrow is going to end one of two ways. Either, I am going to die in a blaze of glory, or I am going to make it back to my secluded cabin in the woods, and spend all the time I can with my lovely, Penelope Garica. I have no intention of turning myself in, and I have no intention of giving away the location of my princess. "

* * *

Robert Rollins, and his mother, Sarah arrived at the bureau late at night. Prentiss interviewed Sarah, and Hotch interviewed Robert.

Prentiss took Sarah to a conference room and got her a cup of coffee.

"It's like it's a bad dream," she said," you know? It's like any moment I'm going to wake up and my Samuel will be alive. I swear, all the men in this family are cursed. First, my husband dies in a car accident, then my youngest causes a girl to kill herself, and now my last son is murdered in his home."

"Ms, Hanly," Prentiss said," have you noticed anyone acting in a threatening manner towards you or your sons in any way?"

"Only our entire town," scoffed Ms. Hanly," everyone hates my boy. That's kind of what happens when you make the pastor's daughter commit suicide."

"Okay," Prentiss said," but I'm talking about someone who really sticks out. Someone who Robert may have told you made him scared or uncomfortable."

"No, not really," she said," but Robert doesn't talk to me much."

* * *

Hotch took Robert to one of the interrogation rooms and immediately began to intimidate him.

"Robert," he said," we believe that what's happening to my team members right now is being done by someone is angry at you for what you did to Mary. Have you noticed anyone who's been especially angry at you? Maybe someone who made you nervous?"

"Yeah, actually," Robert said," It was a couple of months ago. I wanted to go to the cemetery where Mary and her dad are buried. I just wanted to pay my respects. I had a small bouquet of flowers and a card that I had written a note in. There was this guy that saw me walking to the cemetery. He just stood in my way. He said that after all the trouble I'd caused, at the very least I should let them rest in peace. He took the note and the bouquet from me, and after that, I never saw him in town again."

"What was in the note?"

"An apology," Robert said," and a confession."

"A confession about sending the pictures?"

"No sir," Robert said," a confession to lying about who did."

Hotch's phone began to ring, so he excused himself.

"Hotch," Derek said," I think we found the clue he left at Garcia's apartment. I sent Kevin a picture,"

Hotch ran into Garcia's office to see a picture of a pink sympathy card, and a note was written inside of it.

 _I'm so sorry. This was all my fault. It never would have gone this far if I hadn't lied to protect Sam. Maybe you'd both still be here._

Hotch turned back to the interrogation room.

"What's the full story?"

"A couple of years ago, I snuck out and went to a party," Robert said," my mom found out, so she made me give my phone to Samuel for a month. When I got it back, I noticed that he had been messaging Mary using my account, and that was how he got the pictures. When I asked him about it, he had already sent them to my friends. When I told my mom what happened, her main concern was protecting Sam. She said that because he was an adult, it would hurt him more than it would hurt me, and Sam was going to get a job soon, which would help the family. I never even had to lie. Everyone just assumed that since it came from my phone, that I sent it."

Hotch left the room again and got Prentiss out of the conference room.

"Derek," he said," is Dave there?"

"Yeah," Rossi answered

"I think this note may be our trigger," Hotch said.


	6. Chapter 6

"JJ," her captor said," your friends found us."

JJ woke up when she heard his voice.

"What?" his mother asked.

"I will give them credit," he said," they found you faster than I thought they would, but we really need to go before they figure out we're in the church."

"My team is here?"

JJ allowed herself to become optimistic. If the team was there, then maybe they could find them, and then they could find Reid and Garcia.

"JJ," Peter said," We need to leave in a hurry, and transporting you so far has been such a pain, so I have a proposition for you. If you stop fighting me and go where I want you to willfully, I will harm Dr. Reid and Ms. Garcia no more."

"That's not good enough," JJ said," If you don't want me to fight you, you will give my team the addresses to where you are keeping them. Then, you will let your mother go, and stop hurting people."

"I can't do that," he answered," Dr. Reid is a very valuable bargaining chip, my mother is the whole reason we're on this little journey, Ms. Garcia and I have plans tonight, and I'd like to end this without hurting anyone, but unfortunately I can't complete my quest without cracking a few eggs."

"Well, unfortunately," JJ mocked," I can't go with you without the freedom and safety of my colleagues being insured."

Peter put a hand over her mouth, and she felt a needle being plunged in her neck.

"Well, fortunately for me," he said," I have a backup plan that doesn't require you to come along with us."

JJ's body felt tired. She tried to get up, but her body was heavy.

"They're going to find you," she said.

"I hope for your sake," Peter said," they find you first."

* * *

The team had flown to the town where Mary lived and spoke with the locals.

"Was there anyone who was especially affected by Mary or pastor Hanley's death?" Rossi asked the high school principal.

"Well, after Mary couldn't take it anymore," she said," the pastor could hardly take care of himself. There was one young man who stayed with him, even when Ava left for college, he stayed behind, and made sure that he ate, and had clean clothes. He took it really hard when he died."

"We need his name and his address," Morgan said," and his place of employment."

"His name is Peter Thomas," the woman said," he lives with his mother and does maintenance work for the church."

"Thank you, ma'am," Rossi said," you've been really helpful."

She wrote down his mother's address and left the police station. Rossi and Morgan stepped outside to talk to Hotch and Prentiss.

"Prentiss and I will talk to Peter's mother," Hotch said," Rossi, Morgan you go check the church."

They drove to the church just in time to see a white van speeding away. Morgan was going to chase after it, but Rossi stopped him.

"Morgan," he said," smoke."

They could see smoke through the window. They ran out of the car and into the church. There was a small fire in the corner. They could hear fire trucks in the distance. There was a door at the back of the room. Morgan ran down, and found JJ unconscious, and tied to a chair. He untied her and carried her upstairs, and out of the church. There was already an ambulance waiting outside. He placed JJ on a gurney and one of the EMTs gave him an oxygen mask.

"I think she's going to be okay," Rossi told him," Thank God we got to her in time. I'm going to ride with her to the hospital. I want someone to be there when she wakes up."

He sat next to her and watched as she stirred uncomfortably in her sleep. She was mumbling.

"It's alright. It's alright," he said," I'm here. I've got you."

* * *

Reid took a breath and tried to throw himself at the door again. He was in a closet. His hands were tied behind him, and his mouth was taped shut. He was pretty sure the door had been locked and barricaded.

He heard the front door open.

"Peter, what happened here? What did you do?"

It was a woman. She was crying.

"Shut up," he said," and sit down."

Reid heard furniture being moved, and the lock unlocking. The door opened, and the man who had locked him in there was standing in front of him.

"You didn't think I would forget about you," he said," did you, Dr. Reid?"

He grabbed Spencer by the arm and yanked him to his feet. He pushed him back into the kitchen where a woman was sitting.

"Peter, why did you leave her there? Why did you set the church fire? What if she's dead?"

She. Who she was he talking about? JJ or Garcia?

"I left her there so that we could get a head start," Peter explained," besides, I have him and one more woman to get me where I need to go."

"Peter," she said," this isn't what your father would have wanted."

"It doesn't matter what he would have wanted," Peter said," because he's dead. He killed himself because he thought he had no family left. If you had let me tell him, he'd still be here."

He went behind Reid and grabbed a handful of his hair.

"Or maybe," he said," if my sister had stayed in town, he wouldn't have hanged himself. But people like her and Dr. Reid know that it's much easier to run when away when you have a parent with mental health problems. Maybe we should visit his mother when we're done."

* * *

Rossi was waiting at the hospital for JJ to wake up, and Morgan, Prentiss, and Hotch were trying to find Reid and Garcia as soon as possible.

"We checked out his house," Hotch said," It looks like he stopped by there and abducted his mother."

"He has to have an endgame," Morgan said," maybe if we can figure out where he's going next, we can catch him and get him to tell us where Reid and Penelope are."

"Kevin," Prentiss said," do you have any more information on Peter?"

"Yeah," he said," he had a job as a handyman doing small repairs on people's houses, and from his list of customers, he looks pretty successful."

"Okay, we're going to need a list of any houses he's worked on," Morgan said.

"That's going to be a problem," he said, "as I said before, he's had a lot of business."

" Okay," Hotch said," He would want to take them somewhere private. Somewhere where Reid and Garcia wouldn't have anyone to help them. Kevin, look up vacation homes near this town in rural areas."

"There are two cabins within an hour of here," Kevin said," one's being used right now, so I'll send you the address to the other one."

"Let's go," Hotch ordered.

"I'm going to stay and call Ava Hanley," Prentiss said," and the family staying in the other cabin. They may be in danger."


	7. Chapter 7

Reid was placed in the back of the van and made to stay on his knees. He was placed facing away from the driver's side.

"Just so you know," Peter said," this whole ride, I am going to keep one hand on the wheel, and one hand on the gun aimed at my mother. After everything she put me through, I would feel nothing if she died. However, I get the feeling that you wouldn't do anything to get her killed. If I catch you moving, I will kill you."

He slammed the door, and everything was quiet. Reid thought about what happened. He thought about what they said in the kitchen. Peter's mother kept talking about a "she", but they never indicated whether it was JJ or Garcia. The door up front was opened.

"Get in," Peter ordered.

Reid could feel her terror as she got into the van. Peter quickly shut the door and went to the driver's seat. He got in and started to drive away.

"I think your friend got away," his mother said," I saw some men driving up to the church just as we were leaving. They made Peter nervous."

"Shut up," Peter said," I will kill you."

"If you're going to kill me, then kill me. I'd rather die than see you devolve into the monster you're letting yourself turn into, but you won't," his mother challenged," you won't kill either of us. Not because you'd feel guilty, but because you need both of us to control each other. I never taught you guilt. I never taught you responsibility. I let you use your lack of a father in your life as an excuse to lose your humanity."

Peter sighed and mumbled something under his breath, and then tried to reestablish authority.

"I never really wanted to hurt Ms. Garcia," he revealed," she's the only member of their team who isn't completely jaded, and she's the only woman I've met that I could stand for more than five minutes. I remember the day I decided I was going to do this. I was grabbing a drink after work when I saw you three. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I believe you had just found a missing child. JJ said that she considered it to be a win, and you brought up the fact that the majority of abducted children are never found. You and JJ just accepted it as a fact, but Penelope was the only one affected by that fact. I had planned to return to her after I was finished with the rest of you, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to leave my final location without a bullet in my brain, so we should probably visit her first."

* * *

When JJ woke up, she was ready to fight. She was ready to get out of whatever restraints she was in, escape Peter and find a way to save Reid and JJ.

"Woah, easy," she heard Prentiss say," you're safe. Just breathe. We're right here. Breathe."

She turned her head and saw Rossi on the other side of her.

"Reid," she said," Garcia. Where are they?"

They looked at exchanged a look, but Rossi told her.

"We don't know yet," he said," but we think Kevin found the place he may be keeping them."

"But they aren't in the same place," JJ said," Peter moved me first, but he brought Garcia to the place he was keeping me before he took me to his mother's house."

Prentiss and Rossi exchanged another look.

"I'll call Hotch," Rossi said," but we may still find one of them at the cabin."

"Okay," Prentiss said," I need you to tell me everything you remember about the places he took you."

"I didn't get to see much," JJ said," he kept me and Reid in the back of the van the whole time. I'm sure he noticed more than I did. Then when he took me to the other house, he had me drugged. After I saw Garcia, I never thought to look around. His van was in the garage anyway so I didn't get much of a chance to look."

"Do you remember anything else about him?"

"He was really focused on Penelope," she said," before he set the building on fire, he told me that after he was finished with his plan, he wanted to go back to where he's keeping her and spend all his time with her."

"It's okay," Prentiss told her," we're going to find her and Reid."

"Is she in there?"

JJ perked up when she heard the voice of her son.

"Yeah buddy," Will said," why don't we go on in and you can show Mommy the card you made for her."

"Mommy!," Henry exclaimed," I got to go to your work, and uncle Derek let me sit in his chair."

JJ smiled at the sight of her son, and even Prentiss and Rossi took a moment to watch them reunite. The moment was ended when Rossi received a call from a blocked number.

"Hello?"

"Agent Rossi," a young man's voice said," would you like to speak with Ms. Garcia?"

"Who is this?"

"If you want to speak with Ms. Garcia," he said," you will allow me to speak with Agent Jareau."

Prentiss, JJ, and Will could see the concern on Rossi's face and immediately tried to get Henry out of the room.

"Come on big man," Will said," let's let your momma rest for a little bit."

Henry looked disappointed but hugged his mother one last time before leaving.

"Bye, Mommy," he said.

Once they we're sure Henry was out of earshot, Rossi put the phone on speaker and let JJ talk to him.

"JJ?"

"Oh my god," JJ said," Penelope. Are you okay? Where are you is Reid there?"

"Reid's here," Garcia said," and so is Peter's mother."

"Okay, Penelope," Rossi said," is there anything about where you are that stands out?"

There was silence. They could hear quiet murmurs. Then there was a loud crash, and Garcia said something quickly.

'Cameras! He has cameras everywhere and they're streaming to screens in here! They're in our houses, the places he's been keeping us and-"

She was cut off after what sounded like a punch, and a surprised whimper.

"You weren't supposed to tell them that! And you," he said to Rossi," you weren't supposed to say anything at all."

"I'm sorry," Rossi said," I won't say anything. Just don't hurt her."

"No," Peter said," If you can't be trusted to follow the rules then you can't have the privilege of speaking with your friends."

* * *

Hotch and Morgan got to the cabin and ran inside.

"FBI," Hotch announced.

No one was there. It was empty. There was a broken plate on the floor, and blood on the doorknob.

They continued to search the building. Hotch found a couch right next to a closet door that had a lock on it.

"Do you think he may have been keeping one of them in here?"

"Maybe," Morgan said," It would have made it easier to control them."

Morgan got a phone call from Prentiss.

"Hey," he said," they aren't here."

"Yeah, we know," Prentiss said," we just got a call from Peter. Garcia said something that I need you to look into. Try and see if you can find a camera in the cabin."

"Okay," he said," I'll take a look."

Morgan hung up and searched around the house, and his eye was drawn to a basket on the top of a cabinet. He picked it up and found a camera inside the basket. Almost as soon as he laid eyes on it, he received a call from a blocked number.

"Morgan," he answered.

"Please put the camera back," Penelope said.

She was crying.

"Baby girl," Morgan said," where are you? What's happening."

He heard a scream of pain.

"Pease just put it back," she said.

Morgan put the basket back on top of the cabinet.

"Okay, it's back," he said," just please, don't hurt her."

It was almost silent. With the exception of Garcia's quiet sobs, there was no noise.

"Don't you ever mess with the cameras again," Peter said," or Ms. Garcia may not be so lucky next time."


End file.
